Kulshan Randonnée
USA Skimo US National Team Championships
Race Director: Dick Kresser
Saturday, April 24, 2027
Overview
North America’s only backcountry glaciated ski mountaineering race. Highlighting the soul of the sport. We are proud to host the USA Skimo US National Teams Championship!
Taking place on the southern flanks of Kulshan (Mount Baker) in the North Cascades, the Kulshan Randonnée will be a race like nothing else out there. Teams will tour together through the Mount Baker National Recreational Area: racers ascend up to the Park Butte Lookout, the Easton Glacier, and the Squak Glacier, then ski fantastic lines down to the our Finish party in the woods. No matter if this is your first competitive ski event or you’re a grizzled veteran, our Short and Full Courses hold the challenge you’re looking for.
New for 2027, we are switching to a minimum team size of 2 for both distances and removing the requirement to be roped together on the glacier section (the previously required Skills Check Assessment will become a glacier skiing education seminar).
Detailed information for the course, skill and gear requirements, logistics, and more can be found in our Racer Manual.
Course
This race is held on the traditional homelands of the Nuxwsa’7aq (Nooksack), the Lhaq'temish (Lummi), the Upper Skagit, the Sauk Suiattle, and Nłeʔkepmx Tmíxʷ (Nlaka’pamux) tribes. Though each of the tribes had a slightly different name for what is now called Mount Baker, Kulshan is the most close approximation historians have landed on. Kulshan possibly meant “shooting place” where it was an important hunting ground or perhaps meant “where an arrow has struck”, indicating the ‘bleeding’ when the mountain would erupt. We encourage you to learn more about these tribes, their land, and their history, and pay proper respect as we travel through the ice, snow and trees.
For a 3D tour of the course, hit the Play button on the above map.
Interactive map can be found on Caltopo.
There is not another ski mountaineering race in the world that will take you over a glacier covered active volcano. The course was designed by Cascade Mountain Ascents guides in conjunction with SnowGoat Skimo to showcase some of the best Pacific Northwest volcano skiing. Taking place 100% in the backcountry, we have developed a multi layered safety net which allows teams to travel in technical terrain with minimal gear. New for 2027, we are eliminating the requirement to travel as a rope team on the glaciers, instead focusing on route selection and probing to ensure a safe travel path. Please remember Kulshan is a big wild mountain and properly prepare your team, gear, and physical fitness!
The displayed course is our “best case scenario”, but the final course will depend on what conditions the mountain gives us. We will communicate out to racers as the season develops on how the snow is behaving.
Full Course
10,000’ gain, 20 miles.
Spanning three separate climbs, the Full Course first tops out at the iconic Park Butte Lookout Tower before climbing up the classic Railroad Grade route to the Easton Glacier. Reap the rewards with a fun 3k’ ski descent back down to treeline, but get ready for the last climb: A 4,500’ ascent to the crater rim up the Squak Glacier. All that’s left is a 6,000’ fall line ski descent over the glacier and through old growth Doug Firs down to the Finish.
Short Course
5,500’ gain, 13 miles.
A bit more approachable for the average skier, the Short Course still travels on the best terrain. Mirroring the Full Course up the Lookout Tower and to the top of the Easton climb, the Short Course then descends the upper Easton before traversing over to ski the Metcalf Moraine, a beautiful land feature that’s sublime to descend.
Support and Safety
Due to the remote nature of the backcountry area, we have implemented a number of support and safety measures designed to mitigate the risk of racing in a big mountain environment. Please understand not every safety measure is perfect; please prepare properly and always climb/ski within your physical abilities.
Course Marking Wands: We place over 1,200 4’ wands every 30-40m over the entire course. On the glaciers, the marked route is probed for crevasses. Always ski within 25m of the wand line!
Rescue Teams: Kulshan Guiding Collective leads our three Rescue Teams, positioned strategically on the mountain with rescue & medical gear, ready to respond should anything go wrong.
Check Points: Each top/bottom transition will be staffed by Check Point volunteers, including three Feed Stations with water and light snacks.
Snowmobile Support: The Mount Baker NRA is one of the best places in the world to snowmobile. Local sledders from the Northwest Glacier Cruisers have volunteered their support to help haul supplies and assist in an emergency, if snow conditions allow.
Live GPS Tracking: Each racer is required to carry a GPS device with tracking. All team’s are compiled to a Live Race Map where anyone can virtually watch the race progress (including our safety team!).
Education
Since we have removed the requirement to be roped up on the glacier (harnesses still required to be on, ropes carried in a backpack), Friday’s Skills Assessment will look different. Instead of an assessment, we will focus on education and conduct a free Glacier Skiing Skills seminar. This will be perfect for any participants (volunteers welcome too) who are not familiar with glacier travel or would like a refresher.
Schedule
Friday, April 23 (subject to change)
1200 | Racer and Volunteer Check In Opens in Concrete, WA
1200 - 1600 | Glacier Skiing Skills Seminar (free, open to racers & volunteers)
1700 | Check In Closes, Dinner
1800 | Race Briefing
Saturday, April 24 (subject to change)
0700 | Morning Check In opens at Upper Lot
0800 | Race Start!
1800 | Race Cutoff (10 hours)
1900 | After Party at The Hub (Concrete, WA)
Registration
Full Course Team registration: TBD
Short Course Team registration: TBD
New for 2027, the minimum team size is two persons, and a maximum of four (both distances).
Finding team members can be difficult. We hope interested racers will use our Teammate Finder to help assemble the team. Post your information and ability and feel free to contact others on the form who seem like they might fit your team profile.
Categories will include Men, Women, and Coed in both distances; podium awards will be awarded to these categories.
USA Skimo National Team Championships
We are proud to host the USA Skimo National Team Championships for 2027. Featuring a “Grand Course” style, the Kulshan Randonnée is a perfect fit to bring the top national teams competitors together.
To compete for the USA National Team Championships (optional), each member of a team must be a USA Skimo member. Please select whether your team will be competing for the championship during the registration process (TBD), and supply USA Skimo membership number for each team member. Both Annual ($40) and Day ($25) Memberships are available. To compete for a specific category, all members of a team must comply with the requirements of the same age/gender categories. The team race championship categories are:
Short Course: Youth Championships (Under 18)
Full Course: Senior (Ages 18 - 44), Masters (Ages 45+)
A note on the price
We understand some might be displeased with the cost of registration. As a small nonprofit organization, SnowGoat Skimo does not have large corporate or sponsorship backing to make this race happen. Due to the complexities of operating in a mountainous backcountry environment, a large portion of our budget goes to course support and safety including our guide labor for operations, rescue, and snowmobiles. We also pride ourselves in delivering high-quality racer awards and swag (often a $100 - $200 value itself), annual commemorative poster, etc. Except for our mountain professionals, all our planning staff are volunteers. Couple this with the fact that for the last two years, SnowGoat Skimo has had very little revenue. Despite what might be perceived as a high cost, every racer has given a solid “two thumbs up” for good value in post-event reviews.
Scholarship
We understand that not everyone is in a financial position to afford to race, and we also believe that there are more women, BIPOC & LGBTQ+ people who might enjoy being part of the skimo community but haven’t yet taken that first step of signing up to race.
SnowGoat is offering a scholarship entry to the Kulshan Randonnée ski mountaineering race for a team that might not otherwise have an opportunity to race — one team will be selected to receive a free entry and if needed, a skills training day with Cascade Mountain Ascents. Criteria to apply:
Individuals from underrepresented communities who may face financial and/or other barriers to participation.
Be prepared to meet the fitness requirements of the race.
The application will ask for basic personal information and a brief statement on why you & your team wish to participate and are deserving to be selected.
Application Deadline: December 1, 2026
Selected Team will be notified mid-December
Volunteer
A race of this magnitude takes an army of volunteers to help support these skimo racers. No matter whether you are a skier, splitboarder, or don’t ride at all, we have jobs that will be incredibly fun for you to help with. Most critical is having a core group of mountain athletes that can help with the course marking on Thursday and Friday before the race!
Volunteer signup and registration will be available once race registration is open.
Spectators
With the majority of the race taking place on a vast canvas of snow covered ridges, valleys, and glaciers, the event is not very spectator-friendly. The BEST way to spectate is by volunteering! Volunteers out on the course will have the best seats in the house to watch and support the teams as they pass through. You may even get an exciting snowmobile ride to your volunteer station!
The mountain and course will be open to the public, however, and spectators are allowed to travel anywhere they please. If you desire to travel on the mountain and catch the race, the best location is the Salad Bowl Check Point or the Finish Line. Any spectators on the course who are not registered volunteers are not sanctioned by the event and travel at their own risk. NO outside spectator support is permissible, with the exception of safety or health emergencies, in which case the race team involved will be removed from the race. Receiving non-emergency outside spectator support will result in disqualification of the team.
Graphic Novel
In partnership with Children of the Setting Sun and the Kilian Jornet Foundation, we produced a graphic novel focused on Kulshan, and what the mountain means to different people. Click the image to read!